Maponics Blog

Mozilla Hypes the Importance of Hyperlocal Apps

by Maponics on April 26, 2013 at 4:10PM

It seems like everyone now *gets* the importance going local. But Mozilla has a very interesting vantage point on the hyperlocal trend, due to the fact that so many web-based apps are run on the Firefox browser, which is used by 450 million people every day.

Mozilla put out a blog post recently that demonstrates how much they really *get* hyperlocal. They shared a few great examples of how neighborhood-level data can lead to a more optimal user experience than zip code or city-level data, including apps that show weather reports at the neighborhood level, or apps that map out bike routes and bus schedules. Here are a few other examples.

Some apps that come to mind that are powered by neighborhood-level (or sub-neighborhood level) data include:

• Apps that allow advertisers to target ads to the right audience
• Apps that show pedestrians the best walking routes between restaurants in urban locations
• Apps that curate local news stories about your community
• Apps that send you coupons that are actually convenient for people to use
• Apps that notify you of newly available real estate inventory that might actually interest you

This list could go on.These are just a sampling of what’s possible when you think about the benefit of switching from local to hyperlocal.

Would You Ever Buy a House Without Considering the Quality of Local Schools?

by Johanna Hunter, Product Manger on April 25, 2013 at 7:29PM

Most people would never buy a house without looking at the quality of local schools. Which is why Realtor.com has decided to use the Maponics school attendance boundaries to enhance their iOS and Android apps to determine determine which school services the home they are considering.

In fact, Realtor.com had the great idea to reverse the normal process with their app. Instead of simply being able to look for homes and then find out what school district the home is within, you could also start with a school district, and then find a range of homes that you want to look at. This is going to save homebuyers A LOT of time.

You can read all about it in this great Inman News article.

But if you want our take, we’re always happy to see our customers getting creative with mobile apps and location data.